My Daughters

Just a break from music and the clarinet to write about what really matters: our loved ones. Here's a photo of my our children, Billie and Ella. We adopted them from the Jackson County Animal Shelter in 2007, and they have been part of many of our happiest moments since then.

Like many places in this country, our county operates a shelter that has to euthanize hundreds of animals per year, many of whom are adoptable. It isn't the fault of the people who work at shelters, and I encourage anybody who's thinking of adopting a dog or cat to visit their local shelter or pet rescue organization.

As part of our annual charitable donations, my husband and I always send money to our local county animal shelter and our feline sanctuary, Catman 2. If you love animals, please don't turn a blind eye to pet overpopulation problems. Click here for more info from the Humane Society.

Cat Rescue!

Tanzi the cat

I know this blog is supposed to be about clarinets, but I can’t help talking about one of my greatest passions: the welfare of our companion animals. 

Yesterday, my friend Eldred and I drove to Traveler’s Rest, NC to pick up a cat that he is adopting. 

Tanzi is a very sweet nearly nine year-old that people left behind when they moved away from the area. They took their two other cats and left this one. It’s true that I don’t know the whole story, but it does upset me when people choose to give up their animal (especially an older one) to a shelter or other animal organization. 

As a society, we have failed miserably at dealing with animal overpopulation. There are about four million animals euthanized in shelters in this country every year. Over half of the dogs and nearly 3/4 of the cats have to be killed, most of whom are adoptable. Yet people continue to breed dogs and cats for money or just because they want to see the miracle of life.

My two youngest cats came from our local county animal shelter. They are the healthiest and most well-adjusted animals we have ever had. I made the decision to adopt them from the shelter after getting to know the wonderful people and cats there when I was looking for my young cat Trigger who went missing in 2006. All of the cats I met at the shelter were adoptable and most of them were not so lucky, but I felt good that I was able to save two. 

Please consider adopting an animal from a shelter or your local rescue organization, or donating to your favorite animal charity. Here are links and information on the animal organizations my husband and I donated to this holiday: 

ASPCA

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) was the first humane society to be established in North America and is, today, one of the largest in the world. Our organization was founded by Henry Bergh in 1866 on the belief that animals are entitled to kind and respectful treatment at the hands of humans, and must be protected under the law. Headquartered in New York City, the ASPCA maintains a strong local presence, and with programs that extend our anti-cruelty mission across the country, we are recognized as a national animal welfare organization.

Catman 2

Conceived in 1996, Catman2 is managed by Dr. Harold Sims, a retired college biology professor and his wife, Kay, a retired school social worker. The cats live in a large shelter adjacent to the Sims’ home in Cullowhee, North Carolina.

Jackson County Animal Shelter

Our local animal shelter where we found our kitties.

Goodbye Orange Cat

Not about clarinets, but important to me:

Our cat Austin went missing last Monday, and my husband and I and our other cats are in the process of grieving for the big orange problem child we had for twelve years. It’s very quiet in our house without Austin’s monkey meows and amplified purrs....